The EFF is currently pushing for patent law reform with its Defend Innovation initiative. US patent laws can hinder or even sink software development in games and beyond, thanks to the crippling cost of lawsuits which often hinge on technicalities.

“Temporary fixes aren’t good enough – we need deep and meaningful reform to protect software development and keep it as free and democratic as possible,” Persson said in a statement.

“New games and other technological tools come from improving on old things and making them better – an iterative process that the current patent environment could shut down entirely. This is a dangerous path we’re on, and I’m glad to help EFF move us in the right direction.”

]]>http://www.vg247.com/2012/12/19/notch-donates-250k-to-effs-patent-law-reform-scheme/feed/1The Humble Bundle is back with Frozen Synapsehttp://www.vg247.com/2011/09/28/the-humble-bundle-is-back-with-frozen-synapse/
http://www.vg247.com/2011/09/28/the-humble-bundle-is-back-with-frozen-synapse/#respondWed, 28 Sep 2011 18:33:27 +0000http://www.vg247.com/?p=205846The Humble Bundle is back with the Humble Frozen Synapse Bundle, and once again you can pay what you want. It comes with the turn-based strategy title Frozen Synapse, and is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. It also includes the soundtrack with your purchase. Those who pay above the average price will also receive the Humble Frozenbyte Bundle, which includes: Trine, Shadowgrounds, Shadowgrounds: Survivor, the Jack Claw prototype, and a Splot preorder. Charities supported are the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Child’s Play.

Humble Bundles have now raised over $2 million for charity. Watch the video below.

The suit, has Microsoft accusing Datel of selling cards which it claims causes Xbox users to violate the the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and US federal law should they use the third-party cards in their system.

However, the EFF said the DMCA was instilled to prevent “access to copyrighted material by non-paying customers,”not created to block “competitors or policing users’ behavior in regards to their own property.”

“Letting Xbox owners use a third-party memory card does not put Microsoft at risk of copyright infringement,” said EFF Intellectual Property Director Corynne McSherry. “Microsoft is misusing the law in order to sell more accessories and control customers’ use of the Xbox. The DMCA is supposed to be a shield against piracy, not a weapon to smash competition and consumer choice.

“If Microsoft were to prevail on this point, it could give the software giant the ability to use the DMCA to prevent competitors from selling Xbox-compatible accessories, like memory cards, controllers, and headsets. Such a ruling would have wide-ranging ramifications for hundreds of other consumer products where content such as computer code or users’ game play progress is involved.”

“Congress did not intend to grant manufacturers the power to eliminate competition for replacement parts, accessories, or repair services,” added EFF Senior Staff Attorney Abigail Phillips. “That’s bad for consumers and bad for innovation.”

You can read the full EFF statement here, and look over the court documents here.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has called Sony’s lawsuit against GeoHot and fail0verflow an act which could negatively impact legitimate security research.

According to the EFF, if Sony is successful in its suit against the PS3 hackers, those who are pursuing research into hardware security could be punished for publishing the findings.

“For years, EFF has been warning that the anti-circumvention provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act can be used to chill speech, particularly security research, because legitimate researchers will be afraid to publish their results lest they be accused of circumventing a technological protection measure,” wrote the EFF. “We’ve also been concerned that the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act could be abused to try to make alleged contract violations into crimes.”

“We’ve never been sorrier to be right. These two things are precisely what’s happening in Sony v. Hotz.

“Sony is sending another dangerous message: that it has rights in the computer it sells you even after you buy it, and therefore can decide whether your tinkering with that computer is legal or not. We disagree. Once you buy a computer, it’s yours. It shouldn’t be a crime for you to access your own computer, regardless of whether Sony or any other company likes what you’re doing.”

A rumor from earlier in the week stated that Sony plans to implement a new security feature in PS3 discs, which would require consumers to enter a serial key into the console before the game can be played.